The Mesoamerican Technology in Pre-columbian Times Flashcards
(109 cards)
1
Q
mesoamerica name
A
meso = middle
America = North and South America
2
Q
where is Mesoamerica located
A
region that is now Mexico and Central America
3
Q
when was Mesoamerica most densely populated
A
pre-Columbian times
4
Q
Mesoamerica regions (modern times)
A
- North America
- Central mexico
- Belize
- Guatemala
- Nicaragua
- Honduras El Salvador
- Norther Costa Rica
5
Q
when did Spanish colonization start in pre-Columbian societies
A
15th and 16th century
6
Q
Mesoamerica civilizations
A
- Olmec
- Maya
- Aztec
- Inca
7
Q
first known civilization to form in Central and Latin America
A
Olmec
8
Q
Olmec
A
1200BC - 600AD
9
Q
developed in what is now called the Yucatan Peninsula
A
Maya
10
Q
Maya
A
250AD - 900AD
11
Q
built their capital on what is now Mexico City
A
Aztec
12
Q
Aztec
A
1200AD - 1521AD
13
Q
developed in the Andes Mountains in what is now Peru
A
Inca
14
Q
Inca
A
1438AD - 1533AD
15
Q
Mesoamerican contribution to science and technology
A
- calendars
- mathematics
- architectural wonders
- agriculture
- engineering/hydrology
- chocolates
- medicine
16
Q
place where the Olmecs lived
A
Gulf Coast of modern-day Mexico
- tropical rain forests
- lowlands
17
Q
what are the Olmecs known for
A
immense stone heads carved from basalt
18
Q
popular game in pre-Columbian Americas played with balls made from solid rubber (the Olmecs)
A
Mesoamerican Ballgame
19
Q
Mesoamerican practices originated by the Olmecs
A
- Mesoamerican Ballgame
- Ritual bloodletting
20
Q
where was the first pyramid of Mesoamerica constructed
A
La Venta
21
Q
typical Olmec trade goods
A
- obsidian
- jade
- serpentine
- mica
- rubber
- pottery
- feathers
- polished mirrors of ilmenite and magnetite
22
Q
helped the Olmec build urban centers of San Lorenzo and La Venta
A
trading
23
Q
Cities used by the Olmecs for ceremonial purposes and elite activity
A
- San Lorenzo
- La Venta
24
Q
become the unifying force of each civilization that thrive in Mesoamerican region and for the Olmecs, serve as an eneryg that bind them as one to their ruler and to the gods they believe into
A
religion
25
how many Olmec deities are there
8
26
materials used in Olmec art
- jade
- clay
- basalt
- greenstone
27
human-shaped creatures
anthropomorphic
28
common motifs of olmec art
- downturned mouths
- cleft heads
29
most striking art left behind the Olmec culture
Olmec colossal heads
30
the Olmec are considered a __ __ by historians
cultural hearth
31
when did the Olmec population decline
400 - 350BCE
32
possible reasons for the decline of Olmec population
- environmental changes (silting-up of rivers)
- volcanic activity
33
where did the Maya lived
modern-day souther Mexico and Central America
34
Mayan area today
- Belize
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
35
the Maya were an __ __ society
agriculutre-based
36
what do the Mayans grow
- corn
- beans
- squash
37
what did the Maya build to stay connected with other cities and people
roads
38
architectural wonders which the Mayan civilization left behind
ruins of huge ziggurat
39
what did the Maya excelled
- agriculture
- pottery
- hieroglyph writing
- calendar-making
- mathematics
- architecture
- symbolic artwork
40
Mayan contribution to science and technology
1. 365 calendar by watching stars
2. used math, first to use zero
3. developed advance language, glyph writing system and books
41
two parts of the 365 calendar
1. solar calendar = 365 days, 18 months, 20 days each with 5 extra days
2. lunar calendar = movement of Venus, 260 days, 13 weeks, 20 days each
42
Mayan unit of time:
equate to one day
Kin, 0-19
43
Mayan unit of time:
equate to 20 kin
Uinal, 0-17
44
Mayan unit of time:
18 Uinal of one Earth year
Tun, 0-19
45
Mayan unit of time:
360 Uinal or 7,200 days
Katun, 0-19
46
Mayan unit of time:
400 tun or 144,000 days
Baktun, 1-13
47
has a cycle of 13 baktuns
Long Count
48
number system of Maya
base 20 (some base 5)
49
Maya number symbols
- zero (shell)
- one (dot)
- five (bar)
50
number of glyphs Mayans used
around 700
51
where were the books of Mayans written
bark
52
what did the Mayan build
- temples
- pyramids
- plazas
- palaces
53
Mayan Architecture
1. pyramid at Chichen Itza
2. Sayil Palace
3. Temple of Inscriptions
4. Ball Courts
54
situated according to the sun's location during the spring and fall equinoxes
Chichen Itza in Mexico (9th-13th century)
55
- one of the oldest places in Maya history
- three-story building with each story set back from one below
- rooms were built side by sde
Sayil Palace (600-900 AD)
56
Sayil palace architectural sytle
Puuc architectural style
57
believed to have been used as an obersvatory in the Sayil Palace
El Mirador
58
- one of the best sources of archeological information of the Maya civilization
- largest stepped pyramid in the region
- situated in the heart of Palenque
- built to commemorate the ruler K'inich Janaab' Pakal
Temple of Inscriptions (675-683 AD)
59
- used to play traditional Mesoamerican ball games
- believed to be based on religion, and the courts were built with their sacred nature in mind
Ball Courts (1050-1200 AD)
60
- claimed to be related to gods and followed a hereditary succession
- thought to serve as mediators between the gods and people on earth
kuhul akaw (holy lords)
61
main crop staples of Mayans
- maize (corn)
- beans
- squash
- manioc (cassava)
62
unusual Mayan crop
rubber
63
noted for its near-monomolecular edge whose use has the ability to accelerate healing and reduce scarring
obsidian
64
when did the Maya culture begin to decline
beginning of 11th century
65
causes of the decline of Maya
1. war
2. disruption of trade routes
3. agricultural practices and dynamic growth resulted in climate change and deforestation
4. culture was subsumed by Spanish conquistadors in 16th century
66
people who settled in the Valley of Mexico
the Aztecs
67
capital city of Aztec empire
Tenochtitlan
68
approx. how many people live in the Aztec empire
30 million
69
Aztec is also known as
Toltec
70
god of war and of the sun
Huitzilopochtli
71
feathered serpent
Quetzalcoatl
72
rain god
Tlaloc
73
dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc
Great Temple / Templo Mayor
74
what connected Tenochtitlan to the mainland
causeways
75
- one piped in fresh water from outlying springs
- other could be cleansed of mud and silt
Aztec aqueduct
76
artificial islands that were created by interweaving reeds with stakes beneath the lake's surface, creating underwater fences
chinampas
77
made transportation through streams and rivers easier
Aztec canoe
78
some of the largest of pyramids in the Americas
Teotihuacan pyramids
(Pyramid of the Sun, Pyramid of the Moon)
79
god in the center of the Aztec sunstone
Tonatiuh
80
Aztec language
Classical Nahuatl
81
three different ways of Aztec language
1. pictograms
2. ideograms
3. phonograms
82
symbol meaning what it looked like
pictograms
83
related to idea behind what the symbol represents
ideograms
84
how a picture can represent a certain sound such as a picture of a bee could represent the sound of "b"
phonograms
85
Aztec number system
base 20
86
standard unit of linear measurement by Aztec
land rod (2.5 m)
87
- place where kids aged 12-15 learn ceremonial songs and the cosmology of their people
- house of song
cuicalli
88
boys school age 15-20
telpochcalli
89
taught a variety of subjects and trained them for the miliary as the school offered opportunities for a government position
calmecac
90
Aztec ball game
Tlachtli
91
one of the most desired foods of Mesoamerica and was consumed by the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations, amongst others
Chocolate
92
who overthrew the Aztec Empire
Hernan Cortes, Spanish conquistador
93
- flourished in ancient Peru
- empire eventually extended across wester South America from Quito in the north to Santiago in the south
- largest empire ever seen in the Americas and the world at that time
the Inca
94
Inca government
Tawantinsuyu
95
leader of Tawantinsuyu
Sapa Inca
96
Sapa Inca
sole ruler
97
principal wife of Sapa Inca
coya
98
- below the Sapa Inca
- close relative of the Sapa Inca and worked as his closest advisor
viceroy
99
- high priest
- very powerful man
- probably second in power to the Sapa Inca due to the importance of religion in Inca Empire
Willaq Umu
100
rules the Inca Empire which is divided into four quarters
Apu
101
- adviced the Sapa Inca on major matters
- powerful nobles
Council of the Realm
102
watch over people to make sure thay are paying taxes and following the ways of the Inca
Tokoyrikoq, inspectors
103
military general leaders
Apukuna
104
laborers who could be shifted about the empire
mit'a service
105
sophisticated assembly of knots and strings used by Inca which was also highly transportable and could record decimals up to 10,000
quipu
106
used for storing grain and other foodstuffs by the Inca
Inca qollqa (storehouses)
107
- fortress, sanctuary, and once home to aound 1,000 residents
- perched in the high Andes above the river Urubamba
Machu Picchu
108
consisted of a wooden or bronze pointed pole that was pushed into the ground by placing one's foot on a horizontal bar
chakitaqlla
109
when did the Inca Empire fall
1533 CE
